GNC’s 5 Best Testosterone Boosters

Before we start the list, it is important for everyone to know that GNC and Walmart do sell testosterone boosters but these supplements do not contain the hormone itself. Instead, they contain certain nutritional ingredients which enhance the amount of hormones by aiding the pituitary gland.

If you intend to shop around for a while, you should take your time comparing different products and studying the ingredients used to ensure that you get the most out of these supplements. Although GNC is one of the biggest sources offering these supplements, the products vary depending on where you buy them.

Reviews for GNC’s Testosterone boosters

The boosters of testosterone typically improve the amount of the hormone in the male body. One might ask how this is possible when the boosters don’t contain the hormone itself. This is because the hormonal glands in the male body secrete testosterone and are part of the endocrine system. The pituitary and hypothalamus glands influence the quantity of the hormone in the male body.

Pituitary and the hypothalamus glands are located in the brain. While the hypothalamus gland is responsible for keeping balance or homeostasis in the body, it also senses the balance of fluids and electrolytes. Even when test levels are low, it alerts the pituitary gland which itself is responsible for maintaining the function of glands and their secretions.

For example, if the hypothalamus sends a message to the pituitary gland that testosterone levels are low, the pituitary gland, in turn, sends a signal to the testosterone in the form of luteinizing hormone with instructions to increase production of in the testes, or more specifically, in the Leydig cells, which is where the hormone is actually produced in the testicles.

As such, these three glands, even though they’re at opposite ends of the body, are closely associated with each other. Hormone levels in the body must be maintained for physical, emotional, and mental health and fitness. If one hormone is lacking, it can affect not only other hormones, but how one feels physically, emotionally and mentally.

These boosters are designed to support the function and health of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland which then helps the testes increase production of the hormone. This process a range of components: enzymes, proteins, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and other actions at a molecular level. In addition to this, a number of nature’s ingredients can boost the hormone when combined with nutrients for ample health and fitness as well.

Testosterone Supplements GNC

Product lines are always changing. Supplements come and go and the same applies to GNC’s testosterone pills. A number of GNC alternative products are marketed toward men with the intent to increase muscle mass, recovery and athletic performance. A rang of products are listed on their online website at GNC.com.

When it is time to choose, always read the label ingredients. Products may come in capsules, tablets, powder, or other forms. When browsing for them online, make sure that you have the option to look at the label ingredients. For example, one popular testosterone booster at GNC known as Alpha testosterone says that it contains 29.6 mg of zinc and 1.92 g of a proprietary blend by the manufacturer Schredz. This one contains the following components:

Maca root
Tongkat ali
Spanish Pellitory
Fenugreek extract
Velvet bean extract

Another testosterone booster by GNC is designed to be used at night and contains:

Magnesium
Vitamin B6
Zinc
Tribulus terrestris
Melatonin
ZMA®

However you can get a more potent version online that is the same price or cheaper if you were to buy it online from the link below, see the ingredient list right on their site.

Tribulus Terrestris GNC

Other testosterone supplements for men at GNC or Walmart contain a range of ingredients including vitamins, minerals, proprietary amino acid blends, antioxidants and a number of herbs that include Fenugreek, Tribulus terrestris, and Tongkat ali.

If you have spotted a trend here, most testosterone boosters contain many of the same ingredients but in different milligram strength, blends, and combinations. Boosters are typically designed to provide natural, safe, and effective support for pituitary gland’s health.

Always remember that every body system relies on itself. If you don’t have a healthy endocrine gland, your metabolic system may be out of order. Metabolism is needed for energy, burning calories for fuel, development of fat, and building muscle.

When shopping for pills, cream or other testosterone booster products, read the labels. Choose products that contain the nutrients that focus on providing support to the pituitary gland and if the pituitary gland is not functioning properly, you may even experience drops in testosterone.

Are You Really Vitamin D deficient?

Could we have gotten it all wrong on Vitamin D3?

There are many vitamins, some fat soluble and others water soluble. One that no governing health body can agree on is the dosage recommended for Vitamin D. Vitamin D3 to be exact. The folks in functional health claim upwards of 10,000 IU per day is tolerable and one should generally consume 5,000 IU’s a day.

The “medical doctors” claim that 1,000 IU out to be enough and its not enough if the government has stated a slightly higher dosage is recommended if you are above the equator.

By many calculations it may seem as if 70% of the world is deficient in Vitamin D based on blood levels from tests, but where are the side effects being exerted by these patients as commonly stated if one is deficient?

Why are the folks in Africa suffering from bone issues of any kind and yet still be seen as deficient?

Could one reason be perhaps your body becomes efficient at utilizing Vitamin D and thus the free flow of Vitamin D in blood may show up as deficient?

One can look at the above argument and say the minimal viable dose is for prevention of a disease but not for optimal levels, but can rarely back that jumping from 1,000 IUs daily to 5k is the optimal dose, where is the science that makes this case?

Of Course we can take slightly higher amounts of Vitamin C from the recommended 500mg to 1g a day, its water soluble, and can boost immunity, sure, why not? We are helping curb scurvy for christ sakes and boosting our immunity, so where’s the crime?

Vitamin D doesn’t behave this way, it is fat soluble, and it behaves like a hormone than a vitamin, so excessive dosing of Vitamin D is not as simple as just taking Vitamin C, the problem is much more complicated. Additionally there are three Vitamin D’s, D2 is not produced in the body and comes from plants and D3 is found in cold water fish.

The Long Final Summary

Look we are all for taking vitamins and taking extra vitamins for being in flow state or whatever optimal state you strive to be in, but generally if you are not suffering from a calcium balance related problem such as Osteoporosis, taking it for anti-cancer purposes (along with Vitamin C injections), blood pressure regulation etc, think twice about going way above the recommended dose.

Additionally you have to make sure the quality of this Vitamin D is correct as well, anything sold by “NOW” brands can be written off without a second thought. Quality vendors such as AOR + Throne Research are to be considered for serious nutritional supplementation.

Overdosing Vitamin D will get stored in fatty tissues and cause problems such as constipation, fatigue, hypertension, hypercalciuria, hypercalcemia among many more. Get tested to see if your actually running low, Vitamin D goes through hydroxylation and is the most bioavailable in the 25 (OH) form.

References:
DeLuca HF. Overview of general physiologic features and functions of vitamin D. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;80(6 Suppl):1689S-1696S
https://trackmystack.com/supplements-Vitamin-D – Anecdotal Evidence suggests no positive effects of high supplementation of Vitamin D
Vitamin D: It’s Role and Uses in Immunology. Deluca HF, Cantorna MT. FASEB J.2001 Dec; 15(14):2579-85.

Should You Supplement Iodine?

Why You Never Hear About it

According to many doctors if they had to settle on just one supplement, in their eyes it would be Iodine. It’s a strange one, it could be obtained from food, it is not common (unlike Vitamin C), so what is it about this natural item?

The reason many people have never really heard about supplementing it much is because it is grossly misunderstood and amazingly underestimated. It also comes with two strong (false) beliefs, which include: we get enough of it from salt and the second being it can worsen thyroid. I would like to state that it is because of these myths as we can call them, there is a low amount of regimens or stacks out there that utilize this ingredient.

Treatments with Iodine

Firstly it is used to treat goiter, which is a swelling of the thyroid. Secondly a bit unrelated is that without iodine, especially in the West, the fluoride in our water can cause calcification of our pineal gland, which is responsible for regulating our sleep cycle through the production of Serotonin which gets turned into Melatonin.

To prevent calcification, iodine supplementation works great, additionally, it is thought that in Europe 30% of the people have this issue, and in North America it is as high as 80% and miraculously it could be as low as 15% in Asian countries.

Start using a vitamin tracker to make sure you are not going over the daily limit.

Daily RDA For Iodine

Secondly the amount added to salt at 100ppm as potassium iodide amounts to 77ug iodide/gm of salt, where the rda is 150ug/day. RDA is in place to prevent goiter. However generally based on the amount of salt consumed by people daily, we could be at 4x the amount that is required.

But, most of this iodine is not bioavailable, a common problem with many supplements we buy as well. It also turns out that because of media, less than 50% of the US households actually even use salt.
The third issue is that there is almost a inverse correlation to Graves disease, thyroid cancer and hashimoto’s as the US consumption of Iodine decreases.

Here’s the really interesting part in the 1970s the US dough in breads switched from using iodine to bromine, which is a known carcinogenic to the breast and promotes the formation of goiter in the thyroid. However iodine has anti cancer properties, and has many other anti cancer effects in different tissues in the body.

Cognition with Iodine Supplementation

Worst of all iodine and bromine compete with each other, meaning the receptors that are suppose to bind to iodine now bind to bromine. Bromine’s toxicity extends to delirium, brain retardation, hallucinations and schizophrenia among other things. For this we recommend a separate supplement called Nootrocube, known to bring back a ‘devitalized’ brain back into action.

The Final Word

What to do going forward, first we want you to get tested for iodine, and it will be a urine analysis. Secondly use supplements that contain iodide and iodine. A brand we have suggested in the past is Lugol which has 6.25mg per drop. An average dosage for pill form would include 50mg/day and of course if you are deficient, move it up accordingly. Though the ATA recommends anything above 1,100 mcg per day is hitting the upper limit so you should lower it or try potassium iodine at 400 micrograms a day.

Further Reading:
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iodine-Consumer/